Rift Fire
by Angel of Apathy
Summary: A dragon. The rift. Captain John Hart. Life's just getting more complicated. Next in the newly named Jess's Saga Series, but the others don't have to be read. Rated for language.
1. Burning

I have a name for this series

**I have a name for this series. From this moment onwards it will be called Jess's Saga, unless someone comes up with something better. Anyone who does will get a chapter dedication, just to add a little incentive. In this story I'm going to try some different viewpoints – kudos to spncsifreak for suggesting it – so let me know how you think it goes. After doing a super-serious story I'm going back to a strange mix of comedy, action and general crazieness. **

**People who haven't read the rest of this series (Resonance, Vengeance, Back to Haunt) it would be advisable to do so but if not then just accept that Jess is Torchwood's new doctor and there will be some plot details you don't get. **

**Disclaimer: Coffee cake.**

**Very slightly high on caffeine while writing this so apologies for crazieness (and yes I spelt it like that on purpose. What do you think i is, stupid?). And I know I said you would all have a long wait but it turns out I got all inspired during maths and art, so here it is. **

**Rift Fire**

Burning

**Jess**

Dear god, I never thought I'd say this but working at Torchwood sure is boring sometimes. I had to less paperwork when I was at Paperwork Grand Central (or Cardiff hospital as most people know it). Between writing reports on alien autopsies, writing reports on various missions (I feel like a kid playing Spies when I call them that), and writing accident reports (turns out even the mighty Torchwood can't escape from Health and Safety. Life is bloody ridiculous sometimes) I can barely find enough time to torture my teammates. I think John is a bad influence on me sometimes. Still, I have Ianto's backing. Turns out no one can trust Jack to keep him mouth shut, and so about a week after the Elisa debacle – as it has been officially dubbed by, um, me – everyone at Torchwood knew what was going on between me and John. Not that it's a lot of people, seeing as the majority already knew. Still, I declared war on Jack. Ianto has become a surprisingly good friend, because we have a mutual situation. We both are involved (I can't think of a better word) with futuristic guys who have no sense of moral code or not flirting with anything that moves, so we made an agreement that if one of us needs help then the other will supply. Well, Jack's been making eyes at this pizza delivery girl, so Ianto and I have come up with a frankly amazing way to punish him. With a little help from John, who is only sing it because torturing Jack is his hobby and he's better at torturing people than us. Thirty seconds to go. This could be fun.

**John**

Jess really is evil sometimes. I've seen a lot of torture methods, but a hidden speaker playing 'I'm Flying The Flag' constantly has to be one of the cruellest. I must remember to be very careful from now on. Jess teamed with Ianto is actually quite scary.

What other Torchwood news is there? Oh, yeah, Gwen announced she's pregnant. Um, I think that's it. And right about now…

"What the HELL?! Ianto! Get in here!"

Is it wrong for me to be this happy when someone else is suffering? The Torchwood Conscience (Gwen) isn't here. Jess will have to do.

"Jess, is it wrong for me to be so happy when someone else is suffering?"

"In most situations yes, but in this case you have my special permission to enjoy it. I know I am."

"Sadistic tendencies aren't a good sign."

"And you are a good person to comment on this?"

"I never said I was."

Jess is actually quite fun to argue with.

Klaxon.

Just when things were fun, along comes the party-pooper of the universe, the rift. And I think Jack has sussed that Jess and I had something to do with the Flag torture device.

"Jess, John, you can go check this out. If you need backup call us."

Gee, what an original plan. Where does it all come from, Jack?

………………

**Jess**

A rift alert is a small price to pay for the look on Jack's face when the music started. I love CCTV. And to continue with its tradition the rift chose to open in an area without it, so we have to walk in blind. Meh. We've done worse. But, that said, I think now would be a good time to say…

"Holy… crap."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Um, am I mad or is that a dragon?"

"Both. Planet called Mystica. Inhabited by dragons, unicorns, phoenixes, the works. Apparently the way it works was every animal picked a human to be their companion."

"That sounds like a kid's book."

"Yeah, but it's true."

I turned to the dragon. Beautiful. Standing at about two metres at the shoulder, and chestnut brown, shot through with copper and gold. Expressive liquid gold eyes. Blue-grey smoke curling from its nostrils. A slight gleam of white fangs behind its lips. Carefully we stepped forwards. It lifted its head and directed a stream of flame at John. The ground blackened a bit.

"Think it likes you more."

I took another step and the dragon bent its head towards me. Its nose touched my hand…

_Burning. Fire, everywhere. Lost for so long, now found. Human and dragon together. The way it should be. _

_Do you have a name?_

_No name. You give._

_I'm Jess. You can be Tia. _

**John**

Jess has no sense sometimes. That said, how could she know only a dragon's companion could approach them? But it looks like there is still more to Jess that we didn't know, because she was the companion. I'd seen it once before, a first meeting. It's a little alarming. The dragon breathes fire which surrounds the companion, but doesn't burn them. Jess is so unusual sometimes I think she's hiding a big secret. Like she's an alien or something. But the Torchwood scanners would tell otherwise, so I have to trust her.

Actually, that is surprisingly not very hard to do. I normally have trouble trusting people. In my business people who trust easily end up dead in a matter of days. But for some reason Jess is easy to trust. Something about how open she seems. Skilled liar, though; the fact that she hid having lost a daughter from us shows that.

Did I seriously just think of Torchwood as 'us'? God, I have got to get off this planet before I go native. Just a short trip.

I think the dragon-fire's fading. Looks like Jess is nearly done…

**Jess**

Well, that was unusual. I wonder how we'll get this dragon home…

**OK, so nothing much happened, but I have big plans for this story. Stick with it. And leave a review in the mean time.**


	2. Dragon

Well, everyone who reviewed seemed to like the multiple veiwpoints, so I'll keep going

**Well, everyone who reviewed seemed to like the multiple viewpoints, so I'll keep going. I've been spending a lot of time on youtube trying to find punishment songs for when Jack is bad, and I think I found the perfect one… but you'll have to wait to see what it is.**

**Disclaimer: I was going to say WeeHee, but I thought I should do at least one sensible disclaimer. I don't own Torchwood or anything recognisable. **

Dragon

**Ianto**

Just when I thought I'd seen everything at Torchwood Jess and John turn up with a dragon. Mind you, knowing John I should hardly be surprised. I avoid talking to him because he is certifiably insane. I don't know how Jess stands it. I think she is either just as crazy or she has an inexhaustible supply of earplugs which she wears all the time to avoid hearing him. I think crazy is more likely. Somehow they got the dragon up into the hub upper levels with Myfanwy – who gave it a decidedly weird look and then went back to hide in her nest – and then Jess used it to make cheese on toast.

I swear, if I ever see any logic here I will faint from shock.

**Jess**

The looks we got when we turned up with a dragon were just priceless. I have devised a Torchwood work strategy: treat it like a giant party and have a really good giggle. Working so far! And like all good parties there must be junk food, so it's dragon-toasted cheese on toast for lunch. Tia is very useful. Of course this got me even weirder looks, but like I care! I get weird looks all the time.

I think I'm a bit hyper. I'm thinking in exclamation marks.

**John**

Bored, bored, bored, bored. Jess has refused to let me torture Jack with irritating music for no good reason. Damn 21st century morals, stealing all my fun. Gwen's not even turned up today, so at least I don't have her constantly judging me. For about the seven hundredth time, I didn't _want _to kill their team members. I just didn't want to get blown up. But could she forgive me? No, because that would be wrong. I think Jack sympathises with me a little. I have no idea what Ianto thinks. He hides everything. It's like a mask. Scary.

Phone ring.

Why does stuff happen right when I'm in the middle of thinking?

Jack's smiling. I think that may be a bad sign. The boss is never happy unless someone else isn't.

"Jess!"

Yeah, good luck with that one. She's recovering from a dragon experience; she'll be fazed out for hours.

"What?" Or not.

"You are going to love this. Someone just called about seeing a dragon over Cardiff bay, and would you like to guess who?"

I could see Jess thumping her head on the wall.

"Is it my brother?"

"The one and only. Has he always seen things that aren't there?"

"Oh, all the time. One little dragon will hardly make a difference."

"Especially if he doesn't remember. I want you to arrange to meet up with him and then slip him a Retcon pill."

Jack, if you seriously think Jess'll do that you have even less brain than I thought before.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not mind-wiping my own brother. Make someone else do it. Even better, don't do it at all. No one will believe him anyway."

Told you.

"Jess, it makes the most sense for you to do it. He trusts you."

"Which is why I'm not doing it. If someone trusts you then you shouldn't drug them. It's rude."

I think I should chip in here, or it will escalate into a shouting match.

"I think Jess is right. If you're so desperate for him to be retconned you should do it yourself, Jack."

"Thank you, John."

"Shut up. Last time I looked I was head of Torchwood, not you."

"Jack, for the last time I'm not retconning my brother!"

Here comes the shouting. You can't say I didn't try to stop it.

…………………

Jess is still pissed at Jack. It's actually very funny. Especially since Jack is now sulking. He's so childish sometimes. Ianto's been sent out to do the retconning. I'm not sure where Jess went. And Gwen turned up – three _hours _late – and got yelled at by Jack.

I'm still bored. What we need is a proper alien trying to take over the world to break the monotony. I thought work at Torchwood would be more interesting than the rest of this planet, but I was wrong. I really need to get off this planet. I'm going crazy here. Nothing ever happens.

**Jess**

Today is not going well. Firstly Tia and the whole dragon-bonding thing left me exhausted, then Jack wanted me to retcon my own brother, and to top it all the rift is giving me a headache. I think that's a bad sign, because normally when it happens I see something bad happening about three seconds before it does. So far I haven't seen anything, but that means absolutely nothing.

I think the best way to describe Torchwood this morning is _tense._ Jack's still pissed that I wouldn't retcon my brother, John is going crazy from being on one planet for too long – he thinks he can hide it, but he couldn't be more obvious if he tried – , Gwen's strung out on pregnancy hormones, I'm going rift-crazy, and Ianto's… actually Ianto's the only normal person here today. I hope we don't get any emergencies today, because if we do then no one will be working as a team.

"Jess! Where are you? We've got a rift alert!"

Christ, not so loud John, I've got a headache. And I'm not that far away. And what did I say about rift alerts now? This will end in tears.

I sound like some old granny thinking that. And _that_ is scary.

……………………

**Jack**

Things like this happen at the most inopportune moments. What seems to have happened is that instead of the rift opening, letting something through and then closing again; it opened and stayed open, a huge beacon of red-gold attracting the media like moths to a flame. It seems odd that it's never done this before. I think Jess knows something about it, because I saw her and John give knowing looks. That's irritating. I hate when John knows more than me.

**Jess**

With the rift acting up I think I'll have to tell Jack about what it is soon. Oh, god my head hurts.

_Red gold everywhere. Burning. Lost. Losing. Gone. I crave human form. I will take you and everything around you. I am the rift and no one can control me. _

**Sucky ending, but I couldn't take it any further without encroaching on the next chapter where the action starts and the storyline picks up properly. Review, please?**


	3. Rift

Ugh

**Ugh. I just had to write a recipe for good writing for English. What's more, I just realised that I told my teacher I wrote as a hobby, so now she's going to expect really good stuff all the time… I didn't think that one through. I start this chapter in a neutral viewpoint 'cause I think it works better. And Jess's viewpoint disappears because of… well, actually I don't think I should tell you just yet.**

**Disclaimer: Tree.**

**My brain pulled a Jack on me and disappeared off. As a consequence the second paragraph may make Jess seem totally Mary-Sue. That's why I've been pumping her full of character flaws from the very start. Just so I could do this now.**

**Also – and yes, I know this A/N is ridiculously long. You can skip if you want to – did anyone notice me screwing up my tenses in the last chapter? First past, then present, then past again? Yeah, silly author, :headdesk:. That's what happens when I write while I'm tired. I keep doing it, as well! And apologies for the wait, but school and homework screwed up my writing time.**

**Ah, shoot, I think I've rambled enough and I actually need to write some story now…**

Rift

Jess looked like she'd seen a ghost. The power of the rift was pounding in her head, and she tried to find words to warn the others. But there were no words. The rift swept through her like wildfire, and scattered her. Jess was gone.

**John**

We all noticed Jess jump back like she'd been burned. The rift flowed around her, and then she just collapsed. And even though it went against every single rule I have for myself, I felt the need to protect her. That is not good. I can't care for people like that. That's not who I am. But… that's still how I felt. Not a good sign. Then Jess sat up and we could all tell something was wrong. Her eyes were red-gold; rift coloured. It wasn't her.

**Ianto**

It was one of the bizarrest and scariest things I'd ever seen. It was still Jess – at least it still looked like her – but her eyes were so different. I have a thing about eyes. I hate when they're not right.

"Jack, what's happened to her?"

"I don't know, Ianto."

John looked absolutely livid. I wonder if he or Jess realised how good they look together. Like a proper couple. Plus she's the only person _I've _ever seen control him. Even if Jack insists he can, I've never seen it in action.

Tangent. Back to what happened.

Jess – or not – looked around her curiously. Then she laughed and I actually got chills. It was unearthly, empty and echoed like someone laughing in a cave. Then she spoke and her voice sounded like a snake hissing.

"Well, it seemed I picked an interesting one to take over. Pretty too, this just gets better."

Jack looked pretty angry too. I think I just looked bloody terrified. "Let her go. Whatever you are, let her go."

"You mean you don't know who I am? But I would have thought it was obvious. Think, the clue's been there from the start."

"The rift," I blurted. "You're the rift, aren't you?"

"Clever one, there. He's right. Ah, but she never told you about what she learned."

"What do you mean?" asked Jack, and out of the corner of my eye I could see John silently cursing. Obviously Jess had shared whatever it was she'd learned, just not with us.

"Jess didn't find anything that would cause this. She told me what had happened to her; it wasn't this."

"What did she tell you?"

He cast a look at me and Jack, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Not that that made much of a difference, since I can't tell most of the time anyway, but this was more a jumble of emotions – he has emotions, who knew? – rather than hiding what he was feeling.

"She said that the rift was a being comprised of energy – some of which comes from the dead."

"The dead?" I couldn't stop myself asking.

"Yes, Eye Candy, the dead. That was why we didn't tell you, Jack. Because of what happened to your team."

"She was right. I am energy, just energy. This world is so much more. It was easy to go through the fragile connection to her, and now I can have that. Substance, sensation…"

"Alliteration?" John has a strange thought train. Mind you, I've know that for ages.

"Sarcastic one, you are. She has memories of you."

"Where is she now?"

……………

**Jack**

I've seen John in combat situations before, but I've never seen him this angry. The rift seemed to have left no trace of Jess, and so we arrested it and took it back to the hub. Then we held a meeting to discuss what should be done.

"We find a way to get it out of her, then we destroy it." I'm not surprised he came up with a solution like that, to be honest. But the look of cold anger in his eyes was unnerving. I've seen his single-mindedness before, but never like this.

I wonder if there's more to him and Jess than I'd thought. Ianto's good at picking up things like that, I'll ask him later. Normally I'd think that was just me being stupid – I mean, John Hart being serious about someone? – but I think he likes Jess. In a weird way it makes me think a little bit of me and Ianto… but that is scary because that makes me and John the same… and no one wants that to apply to them.

"We can't destroy the rift, John. It's way to powerful, plus that would probably destroy the universe. And just out of interest, how would you go about destroying the rift?"

"We have to do _something."_

"Not that. We'll find another solution."

………………

**Ianto**

Jack and John had resorted to out-and-out fighting. I escaped from it, because if there's one lesson I've learnt while at Torchwood it's not to piss off Jack… and I'm willing to bet John comes under the same category. To hide from the pair of them I went down to the cells to see the rift. I thought we should have a name for it, so I asked.

"Do you have a name?"

"Rift. And you?"

"Ianto Jones. What did you do to Jess?"

"I took her place. Where she's gone, I don't know."

"Why?"

"Why, Ianto Jones? I have spent eons as nothing more than a consciousness, a single mind stretched across time and space. Devoid of emotion, devoid of sensation, for so long. Then one day a little girl, so bright with what I can never have, blundered close and I took my chance. It was never meant to go so far as to give her power. Everything I did was just to experience this. And it is so magical I will never go back."

**Evil Rift. Now, a review… Lemme know whatcha all think.**


	4. Fire

Hehehe I know what's happening in the next story… Just thought I'd throw that in

**Hehehe I know what's happening in the next story… Just thought I'd throw that in. but you won't be reading it for a while, since I have to finish this first.**

**Got a bit stuck with what to put in this chapter, especially the start, so I just used it as an excuse to write 'black mood'. Also I wanted to set fire to the hub. **

**Anyone else watch Jericho? I just saw the first episode of the second season on ITV4 on Wednesday. It was SO COOL!!**

**Again, sorry for the wait but I've had school, homework and writers' block all at the same time. On the plus side for anyone who likes Gwen, she makes her first first-person appearance in this chapter. Just cause I wanted to include her a bit more. For those of you who don't like Gwen, we also have a Rift first-person debut. It's all in italics because that is my rift-writing. It's not a formatting error.**

**Disclaimer: No faces in an art lesson.**

Fire

**Tia (Dragon)**

Gone. Empty. Filled with otherness. Can't sense her; not now. She's gone.

Left me. Alone. Lost here.

Alone. Taken.

Revenge.

**Ianto**

Rift had been taken to one of the interrogation rooms to be, well, interrogated. The dragon seemed to be to be getting restless. Probably she could sense the black mood that had settled everywhere. She was stamping, which was making Myfanwy squawk. It would have been a great time to have had Jess around to calm her down, but obviously that was impossible. I went to see if there was anything I could do, and reached the main hub just in time to see a plume of flame spout from where the dragon had been perching. It didn't hit anything, but the ait got a couple of degrees hotter.

Clearly the dragon was not in a good mood. Gwen must have heard the noise as she left the interrogation room to see what was going on. The dragon flamed again and we both looked at each other and shared the same thought.

"Jack!"

"What?"

"Got a problem with the dragon!"

"I'm a little busy right now!"

Then the dragon's fire reached a wooden strut – why the hub is made of wood I have no idea – and it caught on fire. And the sprinkler system went off.

**Gwen**

I wasn't aware that Torchwood had a sprinkler system. But clearly we do, because there was suddenly water everywhere. Mind you, it does explain why the computers are made to be waterproof. After the sprinklers started, several things happened at once.

Jack came out of the interrogation room, dragging Rift with him and followed by John, the dragon made a sort of roaring sighing sound and tried to hide from the deluge, and Ianto seemed to remember something and started dragging me towards the exit.

"When there's a fire alarm in the hub it goes into lockdown after two minutes to prevent the fire from spreading. We have to leave now."

"Is it safe to take _her _out of here?"

Jack was the one who answered me. "We don't have a choice. If the fire does spread at all the smoke in here will get unbearable."

"What about the animals?"

Ianto answered this time. "The Weevil cells are on a separate ventilation system; they'll be okay. Myfanwy's sat through one fire alarm before; she knows to fly high. And the dragon should be immune to smoke and flames."

So we left the hub as quickly as possible, locking doors behind us.

………………

**Rift**

_I know the dragon wished to harm me, but in truth she helped me get what I wanted. You see, I want to experience the sensation I have been devoid of for so long. I want to see this earth like I have never been able to before. The little people seem so insignificant. Fading so quickly in comparison to the countless ages I have spent stretched across the universe. _

_I have suffered for some of those ages. This 'Torchwood' caused some of that suffering. Dragging me open, tearing me apart. The other Torchwood, pulling open the void. The slitheen female, who tried to pull me open with my cousin, the Tardis. The Gelf. So many beings, forcing me open. And it hurts, it always hurts. Now they will suffer. Every last one of them. But this human form is too weak. It was useful, but now I think I will create my own form. A stronger form._

**Third person**

Jess – or at least Jess's body – crumpled to the floor. The air was filled with a howling sound, and a strange glow rose in the sky. The rift had been unleashed.

"Gwen, take Jess back to Torchwood. Then get back here, we'll need you help." Jack was switching into the leader. But leading the team through this was going to be harder than anyone thought.

**Sorry this chapter's a bit short, but I wanted to finish this chapter here before the next event in the next chapter. Now, review? Pretty please?**


	5. Author's Note

Author's note

**Author's note**

**First off: OK, so I know these notes always bug me when people post them as chapters… so I apologise for ding this to you. **

**Second: I am so sorry. It's been what, three weeks? I really do apologise! Sorry, sorry, sorry. **

**Third: The reasons why. There are two, actually. The first reason is a terrible case of writer's block, and I've lost the flow of the story. I hope I can fix that soon, and when I do the story will be back up and running.**

**The second reason actually isn't my fault; it's my friend's fault. You see, she was reading Twilight… and so I borrowed (cough-nicked-cough) her copy and read it. As a consequence I am now totally addicted to what is possibly the best book series ever. Seriously, anyone who hasn't read them should do so. Now. But I still haven't read Breaking Dawn (tantrum).**

**So, I thought I'd put this up just so no one thinks this story has been discontinued. Sorry again. Hopefully back on track soon.**


	6. Confrontation

**I'm so so so sorry!! I know it's been more than a month, and I can only grovel for your forgiveness. BUT on the plus side, this is ****not**** just an AN (well, obviously **_**this**_** is, but what I mean is that the chapter isn't)! It is, in fact, the (very) long awaited fifth chapter of Rift Fire!! And it's a pretty full chapter, too – we have dragons, the rift, Jess/John (hinted) romance, and a guest cameo by the Tardis.**

**Did any of you know I have Livejournal, Fictionpress and Muse Bunny account now? I do. Go check 'em out if you want.**

**Dedicated for all of you patient peoples for not harassing me to get off my lazy arse and write.**

**Disclaimer: (: I'm back, but I **_**still**_** don't own Torchwood!**

Confrontation

**Third person**

Jess felt the real world return with a snap. She had been unaware of her time floating in the rift. There was just… nothing. Not emptiness, which would be an absence of something, but _nothing_. She then registered how quiet it was, and sat up to look around.

**Jess**

The first thing I noticed was the smell of singed hub. The second thing was the silence. It wasn't actual silence, of course – in a base filled with computers and two animals there is always some background noise – but this was a silence as in a lack of voices. There was no one in the hub. I sat up slowly, unsure of how my body would react after… however long I'd spent in the rift. There was a piece of paper on the table, and I recognised Gwen's looped scrawl.

_Jess,_

_The rift left you but it's now causing havoc in town. We'll be back as soon as we've sorted it._

Oh, no, they didn't, did they? They honestly thought they could tackle the rift by themselves?

_You know they can't, don't you?_

Who said that?

_Who do you think?_

If you're the rift, you have an appointment downtown terrorising the rest of the team.

_You think I can't be in two places at once, when I've spent millennia across the whole of time and space?_

Fair point. (Hang on, why am I having a logical conversation with Rift?) Go away.

_You have to leave me be. No one can stop me._

**Don't listen.**

How many people are in my head?!

**I'm the Tardis. Rift's cousin in time.**

You've lost me.

**Twin entities. Beings made of time and energy itself. And, not to be rude or anything, but could you get a handle on this quickly? I'm in the middle of flying my friend away from an attacking alien fleet.**

Okay… I think. But what do you have to do with me?

**You need to fight Rift. You can be stronger. You have to try, for the sake of the world.**

Then my head felt empty. On the plus side, I could concentrate without transcendental beings interrupting my thoughts by arguing, but on the downside I couldn't come up with any good plans. I sat back down on the floor and tried to think. How could you fight something that spanned space and time? More to the point, how could _I _fight something that spanned space and time? I couldn't fight anything – not without losing, anyhow. I really needed a plan – preferably one that would work, but right now _any _plan seemed brilliant – and I needed it fast.

Overhead, the dragon gave a half-roar, half-sigh.

……………………

**John**

The rift was like flickering light, randomly lashing out to strike at building – and occasionally people. When that happened it wasn't nice to watch. Like someone being burned to death from the inside out. The energy from the rift was at least concentrated into one area, which made containing it slightly easier. But we had no way of dealing with it – even I was out of ideas.

**Ianto**

It takes a lot to surprise me these days. I think the last thing to truly surprise me was when I saw John being nice (I still think I might have hallucinated that). But I think I can categorically say that none of us were expecting what happened next. A ray of sunshine broke through the thick cloud cover, and what it illuminated was truly shocking.

Glittering bronze in the brief sunbeam, even more spectacular than before, was the dragon. Balanced on is back, clinging to its neck, was a small figure. We could all guess who. The dragon hovered for a few seconds before swooping elegantly through the shimmering air towards the centre point of the rift.

**John**

Jess. She was crazy – or suicidal. And again I wanted to protect her – to stop her before she got herself killed.

The dragon darted forward, jinking and weaving to avoid the rift's power spikes. Jess had to have been controlling that – dragons weren't renowned for having that much brain. The pair of them stopped a few feet from the bright glowing heart of the rift. Then Jess let go of the dragon's neck, stretched her hands out to the rift…

_No!_ The rift's light enveloped her again. This time it was worse to watch. When it had happened before she wasn't balanced on a dragon's back in mid-air. When it had happened before she hadn't been weakened from several days by the rift. The worst thing, however, was that the last time it had happened she hadn't done it on purpose.

**Jess**

The rift sang in my ears loud enough to drown out the cries of the others. _Especially him._

That errant thought caught me off-guard, but before I could pay much attention to it the rift shrieked in my head and another spur of white lightening snapped towards us. The rift was objecting to me being here. Tia dodged the strike, and I drew in more power from the rift.

_What are you trying to do? You can't defeat me!_

I'm giving you a chance. One chance to stop. Then that's it.

There was an impression of laughing._ I won't need to accept that chance. You won't be able to do anything._

Then I'll have to stop you myself.

**Not bad for a first chapter back? Let me know what you thought, and let me know if you forgive me for my horribleness. Next chapter will be up hopefully soon. Check out my original story over on Fictionpress while you wait.**


	7. Conflict

**So I did manage to write another chapter… good, good. This took a while to write because I have three stories in my head – this one, my FictionPress story, and another fan fiction which will never be written because frankly it is pure Mary-Sue from start to finish.**

**Disclaimer: OMG, cheese! (it's probably best not to ask)**

Conflict

_**Then I'll have to stop you myself.**_

**Jess**

I had a plan, of sorts. I'd had to think fast, but the one conclusion I'd come to was this: strength or power wasn't going to be enough to defeat the rift. I had to think of assets (and think of them in a less pessimistic way than the last time we had to talk assets when the Time Agents were running amok). There was one big difference between me and the rift – the whole reason this had started. The rift couldn't feel. All it wanted was to feel. And feeling was something I was very good at.

The rift wanted feeling, _yes,_ but it only wanted _good_ feelings. Bad feelings were easy for me. Pain – the death of my daughter. Loneliness – what this power had created for me. Even tiny feelings, like the tiny spark of resentment I felt for myself for letting myself get in too deep with the first human closeness in years. All of this I dragged out and intensified. It hurt. Bad memories, the ones you'd rather forget, forced to play over and over again. But the effect was startling. The flickering lights of the rift converged, settled for a brief second in the shape of a person, before writhing and twisting in pain.

There were hisses from below. The others would be watching, wondering what I was doing. _He_ would be wondering what I was doing.

_Stop!_ The shriek from the rift re-focussed my mind.

Why? It's no worse than what you were doing.

_All I wanted was to be more than I am. I don't __**want**__ to hurt people._

Then why the light show?

_These feelings… I can't control them. How do you stand it? All this inner conflict._

A _lot _of practice.

_Please… stop. I'll leave you. I'll do anything. _The transparent begging surprised me. I didn't think the rift was in _that_ much pain. I felt a flicker of remorse for what I was doing.

What about a deal?

_What kind of deal?_

If you leave, and never do this again, you can keep a connection.

_Keep the feelings?_

Just through me.

_But… that would give you more power than ever._

I can do it. I won't let you hurt anyone else.

The air around the rift shimmered, its form rippled; collapsed; vanished. The crisis was over.

**Ianto**

From the ground, the scene was bizarre. The rift light was coalesced around Jess. Then it flickered into a writhing human. It remained like this for a while, and then, without warning, it vanished. The bronze dragon circled round twice before gliding gracefully down and landing in front of the four of us. Jess slid down its side and dropped to the ground. Something seemed different about her; it took me a few seconds to work it out. Her eyes were no longer dark brown. They were liquid green-gold, like cat's eyes. The way she landed was also catlike, smooth and elegant. Somehow the rift had made her… Cat.

She was still her though. As she landed, poised and sinuous, she grinned the sharp, quick smile I recognised. But then I felt the atmosphere change subtly.

**Jess**

Anger burned out from John, colouring the air black. I could _see_ the black mist rolling off him – the rift hadn't been kidding when it had said I would become gifted. He stepped forward and the fury burning in his eyes was so intense I shrank from it, flinching away. In my head, the rift showed me one of my memories – in a hotel room, trapped against the wall by him, anger radiating out of him like it was now. He took another step, and Tia dropped her head to my shoulder, expressing worry. I would have loved to reassure her, but I felt the exact same way. He stopped, close enough for me to have to resist the urge to shrink away, and I swear I could hear a growl issuing from his throat.

"Why did you do it?" The question caught me off-guard, as did the even tone of his voice. A drastic contrast to his black eyes.

"What would you rather I did?" OK, so antagonising John was risky, but his attitude – like I was meant to just let the rift wreak havoc without trying to stop it – was annoying me.

I pushed him too far. The anger blazed out – the air turned so black for a second I couldn't see – and he grabbed me by the shoulders, hands constricting and painfully tight. "I would _rather_ you didn't do that. I would _rather_ you didn't leave the rift unpunished if you insist on taking all responsibility. And I would _rather_ you didn't cut deals with something that tried to kill you!"

Shit, I should have guessed he'd notice any differences and know the reason why almost immediately. And now his anger had got my back up. "Well, you weren't making much progress. I think it's only fair someone who knows what they're doing gets a chance at helping."

Blackness clouded the air, choking and thick. I could definitely hear a growl now, and the others could too. Jack stepped forward. Brave man – I didn't have the courage to move right now.

"Enough, John." His words had the opposite effect to what he'd intended. John snarled and rounded on him. Freed from the intensity of his glare I darted back to join Ianto and Gwen. I could feel my hands shaking – nothing could scare me as well as the dark side of John. Tia breathed warm air over me, which helped a little. Jack dragged John away from me, and shoved him into a side alley. I turned back to Ianto and Gwen, and they couldn't look away quickly enough to stop me seeing the emotion in their eyes. Tia nudged me gently.

_Back home?_

I nodded. She was right; we needed to get her out of here before the paparazzi arrived. She moved from standing to half-lying, and I climbed up her side. A small part of me noticed that it was easier than before. Ianto and Gwen stepped back, and with a powerful leap upwards we were airborne. All I wanted was to escape now. I let the dark emotions and blacker memories slip away behind us. But one thought refused to leave: why did I have to get myself into situation where I fell in love with sociopathic ex-Time Agents?

**OK, so it's short, but on the plus side there is only one more chapter to go so this story will definitely get finished, although the Saga may continue… eventually.**

**Review?**


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